public class RecipeModel implements Serializable {
private String recipeName; //not important
private String authorName; //not important
private Map<String, Ingredient> ingredients;
//get and set methods
}
And the Ingredient class of course,
public class Ingredient implements Serializable {
private String ingredientName;
private String preparationStyle;
private String useAtStage;
//get and set methods
}
Obviously, the above are placeholder examples I'm using, in place of the actual objects I have, so while the scenario may not be ideal, it is just meant to describe the situation.
The JSP managed to display (via JSTL) the model values without a hitch:
<c:forEach items="${recipeModel.ingredients}" var="ingredientMap">
<input name="ingredientMap['${ingredientMap.key}']" value="${ingredientMap.value.ingredientName}" />
</c:forEach>
The problem arose when I needed to return the amended changes back to the server. The solutions I found seemed either too outdated or tedious. It also didn't help that I had mispelt ingredientmap with a lowercase 'M' either.
What worked?
<input name="ingredientMap['${ingredientMap.key}']" value="${ingredientMap.value.ingredientName}" />
<input name="ingredientMap['${ingredientMap.key}'].useAtStage" value="${ingredientMap.value.useAtStage}" />
<input name="ingredientMap['${ingredientMap.key}'].preparationStyle" value="${ingredientMap.value.preparationStyle}" />
Append the property name (don't forget the dot) after the bracket for the map. Spring is able to translate each field accordingly into the corresponding property of the value object in the map.
That was it. No CustomMapEditor to add in the InitBinder, no mapping of spring:binder stuff anywhere else. Mistakes were made. Mischief managed.
